Redbeard and the Lesson of Caring
by Silencebeyondthestars
Summary: Kidlock! When everyone else in the Holmes house is sleeping, Mycroft passes the door of his little brother and hears him crying over his best and only friend, Readbeard. Sherlock is finally realising what his brother has been teaching him all along. ( A short heart felt piece of the complicated relationship between the two brothers)


It was night and all the houses on the quiet country road were dark except a dim burst of light shining trough a small window from the second to last house. The air was crispy as the first frost of the autumn had fallen over the village. However inside a pale pink colored home and in a dim lit room the air was warm as a little boy sat bare footed on his bed, his hands tightly gripping a leather cased photo album.

On his feet lay a pale blue collar, a tennis ball and handful of other well worn objects. They still smelled of fish after the boy had secretly obtained them from the trash bins, as they were dumped there by his older brother, because their user would never have any need for them.

All the photos in the album became unrecognizable as the boys vision was smudged with tears and disturbed by his over grown black curls hanging from his forehead. This didn't bother him however because without his sight the photos and the memories that came with them were sealed to his mind.

His house was as quiet as all the others except his small sobs that no one would hear. He had managed to hold them down the whole day even after they'd come home from the vet and were greeted by an empty house, no one welcoming him home anymore with big wet kisses. He had not even cried when they buried his best and only friend in the garden under his favorite willow tree. Now inside the blanket of darkness and without witnesses he couldn't stop himself.

His sobs were suddenly joined with another sound coming from the hallway as the floor boards creaked under a much older boy who was most likely going down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Not wanting to be noticed the dark haired boy on the bed reached for the light switch of his night lamp but his brother had already noticed the light shining under the door and knocked on it. Instead of opening it the older boy decided it best to speak to him through the closed door than to face his little brother face to face and see those eyes that he loved very much be filled with sadness.

- _"Your bed time was two hours ago. "_ He said in his usual blatant tone of voice. _"If you are still heart broken over a stupid mutt.." _

_- "Shut up Mycroft._ "Was his brothers response.

Sherlock didn't want to admit it but the whole day would've been more bearable if his brother had shown him some kind of sympathy over his lost. He loved his parents very much but it was Mycroft, who was just like him, that made Sherlock feel he wasn't an alien alone in this world.

- _"Caring is not an advantage Sherlock. I have told you this many times before and I think after today you'll realize it for good"_

Yes, Sherlock knew it know. In the end ,despite many happy moments, caring about Readbeard had brought him nothing but sorrow for the reminder of his life.

_(Open the door and go to him)_ A voice inside of Mycroft rise and told him_. (Go in there, hug him, look him in the eye and tell him everything you can think of to make him feel better)_

The first thing Mycroft knew was that there wasn't a single person in this world nor there ever would be that he cared more about than his little brother. He had known that the second his mother had laid the small baby on his arms at the hospital and Sherlock had opened his eyes to look at him. From that moment on he'd sworn to do everything in his will to protect the boy.

_- "Go back to sleep this minute or I'll tell mummy and daddy "_ He took his hand off the handle and went back to his room leaving the child with still tears falling from his eyes.

The boy rouse from the bed and grabbed the leash and the other objects into a plastic bag. After a minute of hesitation he pulled the album out and placed it into his bookcase behind his science books. Then he turned off the light and descended under the covers of his bed and thought about his brother's words that were finally starting to make sense. The night outside was dark again.

The second thing Mycroft knew for certain was that if he had acted today based on what his heart told him, he would've to continued doing so in millions of other times he'd witness Sherlock in this type of distress. If he'd do that it would make Sherlock's feelings towards his brother warmer and Mycroft did not want his brother to care. That was what today had been about and what all the other games he played with his baby brother were about. To teach Sherlock and this way making him learn to protect himself.

_-"Caring was not an advantage"._ That was what Mycroft reminded himself tonight and thousands of other times during his life but simultaneously knowing the painful fact that he himself could never live by those words.

* * *

Thank you for reading! This is my very first piece of writing so feedback is warmly welcommed!


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